The Bestest Big Brother, Ever - Ben Mantle - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Ben Mantle

GENRE: Children's Picture Book

PUBLICATION DATE: October 14, 2025

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A cute little picture book from a younger brother’s perspective about his “bestest” big brother. Quite a sweet story and cute illustrations. Loved the message about giving space. Recommended.

Plot Preview:

Nano loves his elder brother Felix and considers him the bestest big brother in the whole world. So much so that he loves doing EVERYTHING together with his brother. As you might guess, Felix isn't too happy about this. One day, Nano finds a new sign taped on the door of Felix’s tree house: “No nanos Allowed!” Hmmph! Nano will just build his own tree house. It can’t be too difficult, right?

The story is written in Nano’s first-person perspective.

Where there are siblings, there are sibling squabbles. This picture book covers one such tiff, where an elder brother goes from being the “bestest big brother” to the “worst big brother ever!” within a few hours.

I’ve read many picture books about sibling connections between sisters. This is the first time a picture book about brothers has come my way, and it’s quite interesting to see the similarities amid the differences.

It is quite amusing to see the contrast in the behaviour of the brothers. The younger fellow is obviously chaotic and messy, while the older sibling is orderly and careful. (From my *unbiased* feedback, can you guess whether I am the elder or younger sibling? 😇😂) Their bond comes out quite strongly, even in scenes where Felix is doing his best to escape Nano’s clutches.

The choice of writing Nano’s perspective in first-person offers us a kind of dual narrative. His POV tells us what he genuinely believes about his bond with Felix. The illustrations and the scattered dialogues with Felix tell us a whole other story. It might be a good way of helping kids understand that what we believe isn't always the truth, and looking at things from the other perspective is also important. That said, this approach might be a little confusing for younger kids as they aren’t used to seeing dual perspectives in picture books.

I also love how the concept of “giving space” is emphasised in the book. It is a tough notion for kids to understand, especially when it comes to their siblings. Of course, the speed with which things break up and patch up between the boys also offers parents an important lesson: do not interfere in sibling quarrels unless absolutely necessary. More often than not, they forget what happened within a few hours.

The text is written in easy-to-understand words. There are some made-up words, thanks to Nano’s *creative* manner of speaking. The story also has many onomatopoeic sound words, which, combined with Nano’s exclamatory declarations, would make this a fun book to read aloud.

The illustrations are adorable! I simply loved how Nano’s expressions change once he sees the “No Nanos” sign. Anger, sadness, frustration – every emotion of his comes out well. As a great part of the story is set outdoors, there are some brilliant natural hues throughout.

Overall, this is a cute book with cuter illustrations and a valuable message. It will work as a great option for sibling pairs, whether brothers or sisters, to understand how everyone needs their me-time.

Recommended. This book would work well for ages 3-6.

My thanks to Candlewick Press for providing the DRC of “The Bestest Big Brother, Ever” via Edelweiss+. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.